1 Kings 20:7-11: a reflection

7Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn’t deny him.” 8All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen, and don’t consent.” 9Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” The messengers departed and brought him back the message. 10Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.” 11The king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Don’t let him who puts on his armor brag like he who takes it off.’”

When an arrogant enemy king boasts of the victory he is sure to win, the king of Israel answers with a proverb that warns against boasting before the outcome: don't let the one putting on his armor boast like the one taking it off. Tell him, the king of Israel answers, don't let him who puts on his armor brag like he who takes it off. Ben-Hadad had boasted grandly of the destruction he would bring, as though the victory were already his, though the battle had not been fought. And the king of Israel replies with wisdom: the one just putting on his armor, before the fight, should not boast like the one taking it off afterward in victory. Do not boast of a victory not yet won. This shows the folly of boasting before the outcome is achieved. Do not boast before the outcome; the battle is not yet won. The one putting on armor should not brag like the one taking it off victorious. Humility about what is not yet achieved is wiser than boasting. Do not count your victory before it is won.

Notice the wisdom in the king's reply. The enemy king had boasted grandly, as though he had already won, threatening total destruction before a single blow had been struck. The king of Israel answers not with a counter-boast, but with a proverb of humility: don't let the one putting on his armor brag like the one taking it off. The point is plain: the one just arming himself for battle, before the fight, has no business boasting like the one who has finished the fight and won; the outcome is not yet decided, and to boast as though it were is foolish. This holds a wisdom worth learning. We can be tempted to boast before the outcome, to speak as though we have already succeeded when the matter is not yet decided, to count our victory before it is won, to brag about what we have not yet actually accomplished. But this is foolish; the outcome is not yet ours, and much can happen before it is decided. Humility about what is not yet achieved, holding our tongue until the matter is actually accomplished, is wiser than boasting prematurely. The one putting on his armor does not yet know how the battle will go; he should not boast like the one taking it off in victory. We do well not to boast before the outcome, but to keep humble about what is not yet achieved, not counting our victory before it is won. Do not boast before the outcome; what is not yet achieved is not yet yours. The one arming for battle should not brag like the one who has won. Keep humble about what you have not yet accomplished. Do not count your victory before it is won.

That is worth taking to heart, for it is foolish to boast before the outcome is achieved, and we do well to keep humble about what is not yet won, as the king answered the boasting enemy. We can boast as though we have already succeeded when the matter is undecided; but the wise reply was, don't let the one putting on his armor brag like the one taking it off. The outcome is not yet yours. Do not boast before the outcome or count your victory before it is won; keep humble about what you have not yet achieved, for much can happen before it is decided. Do not boast before the outcome is achieved or count your victory before it is won, but keep humble about what you have not yet accomplished, as when an arrogant enemy king boasted of the victory he was sure to win, the king of Israel answered with a proverb warning against boasting before the outcome, telling him not to let the one putting on his armor brag like the one taking it off; for Ben-Hadad had boasted grandly of the destruction he would bring as though the victory were already his though the battle had not been fought, and the king of Israel replied with wisdom that the one just putting on his armor, before the fight, should not boast like the one taking it off afterward in victory, since the outcome was not yet decided, which holds a wisdom worth learning, since we can be tempted to boast before the outcome and speak as though we have already succeeded when the matter is not yet decided, counting our victory before it is won and bragging about what we have not yet accomplished, but this is foolish since the outcome is not yet ours and much can happen before it is decided, and humility about what is not yet achieved, holding our tongue until the matter is actually accomplished, is wiser than boasting prematurely, so that we do well not to boast before the outcome but to keep humble about what is not yet won.

Lord, when an arrogant enemy king boasts of the victory he is sure to win, the king of Israel answers with a proverb that warns against boasting before the outcome: don't let the one putting on his armor boast like the one taking it off. Tell him, the king of Israel answers, don't let him who puts on his armor brag like he who takes it off. Ben-Hadad had boasted grandly of the destruction he would bring, as though the victory were already his, though the battle had not been fought. And the king of Israel replies with wisdom: the one just putting on his armor, before the fight, should not boast like the one taking it off afterward in victory. Do not boast of a victory not yet won. Show me the wisdom in the king's reply. The enemy king had boasted grandly, as though he had already won, threatening total destruction before a single blow had been struck. The king of Israel answers not with a counter-boast, but with a proverb of humility: don't let the one putting on his armor brag like the one taking it off. The point is plain: the one just arming himself for battle has no business boasting like the one who has finished the fight and won; the outcome is not yet decided. This holds a wisdom worth learning. I can be tempted to boast before the outcome, to speak as though I have already succeeded when the matter is not yet decided, to count my victory before it is won, to brag about what I have not yet actually accomplished. But this is foolish; the outcome is not yet mine, and much can happen before it is decided. Humility about what is not yet achieved is wiser than boasting prematurely. Take that to my heart. Keep me from boasting before the outcome or counting my victory before it is won; help me keep humble, Lord, about what I have not yet accomplished, not bragging like one who has won when I am only putting on my armor, but staying humble until the matter is actually done.